Richard Davies wrote: The UK has a good crop of technology pioneers in cloud computing - for example ElasticHosts, FlexiScale, Flexiant, OnApp - and also some strong government initiatives such as G-Cloud.
We will have to see whether this kind of technical leadership converts into swift mass-market adoption or not.
SCRA
today reported results for the 2010 fiscal year ended June 30th,
2010. Revenue for the year was a record at more than $170M, up 60%
compared with fiscal year 2009. Total backlog at $405 million set a new
annual record for the company, up from $279 million the previous year,
registering strong indications of continued steady, future growth. At
the end of FY 2010, multi-year total contract value comprised more than
$1.4 billion.
SCRA’s affiliate, Advanced
Technology International (ATI), achieved many noteworthy outcomes in
FY 2010. ATI achieved record revenues with the ramp-up of its Defense
Ordnance Technology Consortium contract, with the re-compete and win
of its Center for Naval Shipbuilding Technologies program, growth of its
Marine Corps R&D Test & Evaluation Program, along with numerous renewals
and add-on business from existing clients. In addition, ATI achieved
national recognition in FY 2010 when it was named by The Wall Street
Journal as one of the Top 15 Winning Workplaces in the U.S. for its
business practice excellence, training and employee development
programs. Additional recognition went to ATI
Vice Chair Robert Kiggans last month when he was honored with an
international leadership award by the American Society of Mechanical
Engineers at their international conference in Montreal.
In knowledge-based economic development, SCRA’s positive deliverables
included the on-schedule, on-budget construction and opening of two
Innovation Centers: the SCRA MUSC Charleston Innovation Center, which
opened in December, 2009; and the SCRA USC Columbia Innovation Center,
which opened last month. The third planned Center, The Clemson
Innovation Center, remains on schedule and is set to open in the spring
of 2011.
SCRA’s
SC Launch program, which facilitates knowledge-based economic
development in South Carolina, has continued to assist, help form and/or
land more than 230 knowledge-based entities in South Carolina since its
inception in 2006, providing both funding and services to more than 178.
The Program has attracted more than $104M in add-on, private equity
investment in South Carolina companies in this four-year period, a
figure that rose from $71M the previous fiscal year.
Also in FY 2010, SC Launch was recognized by Forbes magazine as
one of the top five entrepreneurial support programs in the country,
adding to previous national and international recognition from the
Southern Growth Policy Council, the State Science & Technology Institute
and the International Economic Development Council.
“With solid, long-term contracts and a significant backlog, our outlook
remains positive given our strong financial position at the end of FY
2010,” said SCRA CFO Julia Martin. “In FY 2010, we successfully
implemented intensive, planned process improvements that are positively
impacting our line efficiencies and controlling our costs,” said SCRA
COO Greg
Frank, who brings more than 25 years of industry strength and
expertise in R&D leadership, management, and technology
commercialization.
“With upcoming changes likely occurring in national Defense budgets over
the next 2-3 years, our future is not risk-free. Nonetheless, I remain
cautiously optimistic about SCRA growth in FY 2011 and beyond. Multiple
extensions and add-ons in FY 2010 tell us that our programs add
significant value for our clients,” said Bill Mahoney, SCRA CEO.
“Additionally, our new chief operating officer, Greg Frank, has brought
greater impetus to accelerate our business initiatives. Since joining
SCRA last September, Greg has continued the transformation of our
business with his expertise in the industries we serve. And our healthy
pipeline of tenant prospects for our Innovation Centers will help us
fulfill our mandates regarding knowledge-based economic development in
South Carolina.” SCRA’s operations have made a cumulative economic
contribution of more than $13.7B to South Carolina, according to a
University of South Carolina Moore School of Business study, details of
which will be released later this fall.
SCRA is a global leader in applied research and commercialization
services with its headquarters in South Carolina. SCRA collaborates to
advance technology, providing knowledge-based solutions with assured
outcomes to industry and government, with the help of research
universities in SC, the US and around the world.
SC Launch, an SCRA program, assists entrepreneurial start-up companies
with up-front counseling, seed-funding, and access to a powerful
resource network. The SC Launch mission is to help generate knowledge
economy jobs in South Carolina, enhance the state’s quality of life and
provide opportunity for all South Carolinians in the new economy.
Advanced Technology International builds global consortia to develop and
implement innovative solutions for manufacturing, aerospace, automotive,
maritime, metals, and healthcare industries. ATI-led collaborations
attract world-class talent from premier companies, universities, and
government agencies, to define technology roadmaps and research
portfolios matched to business demands that provide the requisite
resources to solve shared challenges.
ATI's partners report improved market transition and return on
investment with reduced risk. These practical business benefits enable
the downstream economic and social benefits of the new technologies -
such as safety, affordability, manufacturing competitiveness,
environmental protection, and energy conservation. A private, non-profit
research corporation with principal operations in Charleston, SC, ATI is
an affiliate of SCRA.